LoginAre all writers delusional? with Penguin debut authors | Ask Penguin Podcast
In this episode of the Ask Penguin podcast, Rhianna Dhillon sits down with three breakout 2026 debut authors, Angela Tomaski, Sufiyaan Salam, and Madeline Cash, to discuss the messy, hilarious reality of writing a first novel. And as always, we give out the best book recommendations to help you find your next read.
Discover all the books mentioned in this episode here: https://bit.ly/AskPenguinS4E4
About the books:
Wimmy Road Boyz by Sufiyaan Salam is a blistering story of masculinity, violence and love set over the course of a single, surreal night, told in energetic and cinematic prose.
The Infamous Gilberts by Angela Tomaski is a novel buoyed by love, buffeted by loss, and tangled together in an unputdownable story where the lines between eccentricity and madness, cruelty and love become hilariously heartbreakingly blurred.
Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash is a novel of quick-witted observation and surprising tenderness, conspiracies, loss and humour, a family saga for the twenty-first century, all held together with crazy glue.
About the authors:
Sufiyaan Salam is a writer and former animator from Blackburn. He’s working on several TV & feature projects, and co-wrote the short film MAGID / ZAFAR, premiering in 2025. Wimmy Road Boyz, winner of the #Merky Books New Writers’ prize, is his first novel.
Angela Tomaski was born in Oxford and raised in Somerset with her four brothers and sisters. She has had a variety of different jobs, including as a waitress, cleaner, English teacher and activity coordinator in a care home. She has a daughter and two grandsons, and now lives in rural Dorset.
Madeline Cash is the founder of Forever Magazine and the author of the story collection Earth Angel. Her fiction has appeared in Granta, The Baffler, The Sewanee Review, The Drift, and Bomb, among other publications. Lost Lambs is her debut novel.
For more information about the National Year of Reading, visit https://goallin.org.uk
Follow us here:
Website | http://www.penguin.co.uk
Instagram | http://www.instagram.com/askpenguinpodcast
Facebook | http://www.facebook.com/penguinbooks
Ask Penguin is the podcast where your quirkiest, trickiest, and most urgent book questions get answered. Hosted by Rhianna Dhillon, we bring bestselling authors and Penguin insiders to explore some of your favourite books and discover new ones that you are yet to read.
Keep up to date and listen to more episodes here: https://podfollow.com/thepenguinpodcast
#BookRecommendations #BookSuggestions #DebutAuthor #PenguinBooks #Podcast #BookPodcast #Booktube
0:00 Intro
01:47 How did you become published authors?
08:17 Which author inspired you to write?
11:24 How did you find the voice of your story?
17:05 How do you plan your novel?
25:17 How do write about family dynamics?
26:26 How does music play a role in your book?
30:46 How to write complex characters
33:29 Why does Lost Lambs have gnats in it?
37:10 Writing complex family relationships
42:02 The difficulties of writing
46:14 What book inspired your love of reading?
47:11 How to read more
48:15 What's next for you?
50:32 What novel would you recommend in the same genre?
52:33 What's the most underrated book from a well known author?
55:18 How to get out of a reading slump?
55:48 Which author should you read every book of?
